Orange Blaze deeply worrying, says Elliott
Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott has said that a fire which destroyed Drumartin Orange Hall near Cootehill in County Cavan has left many Protestants both in the area and across the border in Fermanagh feeling very anger and in fear that they are been targeted by anti-social elements.
Tom said “The destruction of Drumartin Orange Hall bares the hallmarks of attacks that we have seen across Northern Ireland and the Republic in recent months. We will have to wait to for police reports to see if the fire was indeed started maliciously, but from what I have been told it certainly looks like this may have been the case. If this is correct then it is a very worrying development for this part of the world, and particularly for the small number of Protestants that live in the Drumartin and wider Cootehill area.
Traditionally community relations in the area are very good, and I would be fearful that if the cause of the fire is found to be malicious that it could damage the connections there are between local residents. I would ask for the Irish Government to keep a close eye on the situation that is ongoing in Northern Ireland in relation to attacks on Orange Halls to make sure that it does not begin to take a strong hold in the Republic. It is important that communities such as Drumartin are protected from those who would wish to destroy them, especially now as we enter a new era when community relations on both sides of the border can develop and we can grow in understanding of each others backgrounds.
I would like to make it clear that the ongoing campaign of malicious attacks on Orange Halls is not going to do the attackers any good. The communities that you are targeting will pull together, and these halls will be rebuilt new and better than what was there before. Drumartin Orange Lodge will have the full support of many Protestants from both sides of the border. The more you test the Protestant resolve, the more you will see just how strong it is in a time of need.”